Left Supraclavicular Node

Also known as “Virchow’s Node,” a palpable Left Supraclavicular Node is always suspicious for cancer. That’s because the thoracic duct, the body’s largest lymph vessel, drains the entire abdomen, pelvis, and part of the left chest, thus channeling any metastases through the Left [but not right] Supraclavicular Node. This also used to be called the “Sentinel Node,” before techniques for mapping more localized sentinel nodes were developed (e.g. for breast cancer or melanoma).